Turkish author found not guilty of insulting national identity

[JURIST] Turkish writer Ipek Calislar was found not guilty Tuesday of "insulting the Turkish identity" in violation of Article 301 [Amnesty backgrounder] of the country's penal code. Calislar went on trial [JURIST report] in October for writing that the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, once left his palace disguised as a woman to evade an assassination attempt. He faced over four years in prison if convicted.

Calislar is one of several writers to be accused of Article 301 violations. Turkish novelists Elif Shafak [personal website], Hrant Dink and Orhan Pamuk [JURIST news archive] have all been charged under Article 301 for discussing the alleged Armenian genocide. Shafak was acquitted and Pamuk's charges were dismissed [JURIST reports], while Dink faces a retrial [JURIST report].

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